


sipping your sunset

by piperpied



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M, for it to be summer and to be in love a wish by me, im gonna combust, its summer in the down under so i just had to ok, riding off into the sunset except the sunset is park woojin, this became so soft wtf, woojin is my honey boy and jihoon's too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-02 23:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13329000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piperpied/pseuds/piperpied
Summary: Loving you is like sipping the sunset and realising it tastes like honeyIn which Jihoon is has a sweet tooth, and Woojin looks like he could be made of honey that he just wants to taste.





	sipping your sunset

**Author's Note:**

> this is one big gooey mess; please enjoy the disgustingly softness and mutual pining that is our 99 duo

Jihoon has liked sweet things ever since he was a child. The confectionaries lining the store counters would beckon him with their tinfoil wrappers, row upon row glittering, promising oozy caramel, chocolate, and nut fillings. He’d quickly realised as adolescence descended that sugar was not only synonymous with joy, but also bad skin, and the list of designated “unhealthy” foods that one didn’t eat if one wanted to be fit, toned, and attractive. The people on fitness magazine covers didn’t eat sweet things. Of course, it bothered Jihoon that such things restrictions even existed, but upon weighing up the options, he decided that fitness modeling wasn’t in his near future, and really a life without sweetness just wasn’t a life worth living. 

It comes as a surprise to him, then, when he has his first kiss with a girl named Chaeyong, who has pretty pink lips that smell like strawberry marshmallow, and finds himself gravely disgusted. Maybe, he thinks, sweet things aren’t really for him and he’s been wrong this entire time. Maybe he should consider becoming a fitness magazine cover model, and sign up for one of those expensive gym membership cards like Daniel hyung. Jihoon is happy at least that the temptation to kiss more girls isn’t there, because they all wear the same sticky lip gloss that had coated his mouth during that first kiss, and he decides life is easier this way. He focuses on school work, and his friends, and the feeling of ice cream melting on his tongue as spring seeps through the cracks of his world. 

It’s the first day of summer when Jihoon sees Park Woojin for the first time. Like a slice of sunlight born from the first day of the season, he glows down their school hallways with skin that’s burnt caramel, as if the sun in the sky shining down was but a poor copy of himself. Jihoon is mad, because the sun had been a reliable presence all his life, and who was this kid swooping in and acting like he created the damn definition of warmth? He’s mad, to say the least, but he’s also enthralled. The first time the boy talks to him in biology, tapping his shoulder and asking for a pen, Jihoon could’ve sworn he photosynthesised just staring at him in close quarters. He noticed then that it was more than just a goldness that made Woojin shine so enticingly; it was the chocolate brown of his eyes, the elegant curve of his jawbone and rough-edged smile studded with a snaggle tooth; his honey glow on hot days when perspiration pearled his brow. 

All of these things make Park Woojin oh so tempting, and Jihoon just wants a taste of him.

Admitting this to himself is the hard part but spending time with the boy after is even more excruciating, Jihoon quickly realises. Naturally, their friendship circle quickly admits Woojin as their newest member, what with his easy humour and tsundere- kind of love. 

He cares for everyone, but his friends know Woojin dotes on nobody more than Jihoon. When Jihoon is having trouble with an equation, Woojin will be sitting there beside him, dragging his paper from under him and explaining in a calm voice tinged with satoori, scribbling over Jihoons mistakes and telling him to pay attention in class more often. Or when they go out for Jinyoung’s birthday, and Woojin serves Jihoon little pieces of meat and even puts sauce on them before serving himself, muttering quietly about which topping is more delicious that he’ll enjoy. Or when Jihoon doesn’t notice his shoe laces undone in a PE lesson, and Woojin will abruptly drop to the floor and tie them while complaining how “do you want to be put in the nurse’s room?”. 

Jihoon finds himself put off guard, gazing at the younger silently as he works with his deft hands, large and creamy coffee coloured, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He tells himself its fondness, that Woojin would do the same for any of his hyungs or dongsaengs, but a soft voice lets him know that it’s not so, and he wouldn’t want it to be. He really wouldn’t. 

Not when he can make Park Woojin blush through that honey skin by simply reaching up to wipe the ice cream on his lips with a finger, licking the sweet cream off the top as the other boy watches. Not when he can have Woojin to himself during those lazy summer afternoons during the holidays, when their friends have texted them with various other inviting activities and they’ve blown them all off to climb the trees together in the park by Jihoon’s house, or drink iced lemonade on deck chairs pulled out onto his front lawn with their t-shirts off, sunbaking, except Jihoon’s dubious on whether Woojin could possibly soak up more sun, or if he’s a like a sponge at full capacity. Its all these things, and so Jihoon is blue that the summer holidays are ending soon and they’ll be swept back into school life and bland corridors where the two of them; Woojin and Jihoon, Jihoon and Woojin, do not belong, at least not in that carefree way. 

Its yet another night that Jihoon is staying over at Woojin’s, half his belongings already taking up the space inside Woojin’s closet, which he’s practically lived out of this summer. Woojin is grinning up at the cieling as the fans blow both their hair in a million directions, styling it into some lowkey rendition of a troll doll. They’re both splayed out on the mattresses on Woojin’s floor with the heat slowly creeping out of the walls of the house, wafting off ghoulishly into the night to bury itself elsewhere. Until then the summer has been a dizzying merry-go-round of laughter and fizziness and cool on hot. It all hushes to a trembling pianissimo in the space of the bedroom, cicadas chirping outside. 

Jihoon sits up with a smile on his lips and shakes his head so the fan blows it more harshly, making Woojin burst out laughing in that infectious way of his thats always unexpected, no matter how many times Jihoon has heard it. It makes him shake his head more vigorously, arms flying out beside him, and Woojin jumps up to do an even more exaggerated version of the pose until they’re both howling in stitches on the floor.

“Ah, its sad holidays are ending soon,” Woojin sighs as the laughter dies down.

Jihoon silently agrees, settling back down into the mattress and sighing too. 

“We should do something tomorrow,” the older pipes up, “Something big, and fun, so we can remember these days.”

Woojin props himself up on one elbow to face the older boy, his face cast in a dubious expression.

“And what exactly do you suggest?”

Jihoon lips his lips, pondering this while his eyes trace the ceiling. 

“Hmm,” he hums, “how about the cliff drop?” 

Woojin’s eyes sparkle when Jihoon turns to look up at with his head on the mattress. His lips tug up a fraction. 

“Oh yeah, that sounds like fun,” he says, “Actually, I was gonna suggest it but I thought you’d be too much of a pussy.”

Jihoon makes a choking sound and grabs the pillow next to him, slamming it into Woojin’s side. The younger lets out a yell of protest, hands going up to defend himself from the feathery attack. 

“Aish, I don’t deserve this!” he whines, prompting Jihoon to hit the boy even harder, aiming for his chest, back, and everywhere he can reach. 

Woojin being the athletic guy he is, manages to dodge a few of these hits and snatch the pillow off Jihoon to plunder him with faster, harder whacks to his body. 

“Yah I yield!” shouts Jihoon, embarrassed at how quick it took to break down his resolve. 

When the pillow is removed, he’s faced with Woojin’s snaggle-toothed smirk that’s actually more of a smile, peering at him. 

With the other dongsaengs, Woojin would walk off indifferently at that point to seek some other victim, but not now. Jihoon’s eyes can’t stop staring at that smile, and suddenly it’s not the smile itself but Woojin’s lips. His other senses can’t help but involve themselves, emphasising how smooth and honey toned they seem, and suddenly Jihoon just wants a taste. He wants to taste _him _, and see if Woojin’s the sweetest thing he’s tasted all summer, because he’s got a feeling he will be.__

__The moment is abruptly broken as the fan above them stutters to a stop, and all the light shut off in one swoop. In the blackness there are no lips but only vague shadow, and Jihoon is happy he’s been saved the embarrassment of… whatever could have happened. Not that anything would have, even if it were hypothetical._ _

__“Blackout,” says Woojin to the darkness._ _

__“Yeah,” squeaks Jihoon._ _

__They’re both tugged under by sleep some point after this riveting conversation._ _

__

__***_ _

__

__On the last day of summer holidays, Jihoon and Woojin eat pancakes with butter and honey for breakfast. They’re fluffy and sweet, and after they’re finished Woojin wipes a crumb of Jihoon’s face, cracking up at the elder’s look of shock. They often play out mini acting skits, pretending to be characters from a film or drama, so that sort of thing isn’t out of the ordinary. But Jihoon is met with the itching sensation that Woojin is in this one alone._ _

__Then they change into light clothing- neither of them having bothered to buy a pair of swimmers the entire holidays- and ride their bikes up the hill to the cliff top. The drop itself is only about 8 metres, barely a “cliff” but high enough to spark their adrenaline. The sky is an intense blue, rising up like a wall in front of them, with scrubs lining the dirt path they follow. Jihoon pushes himself in front but he’s quickly overtaken by Woojin, who’s far fitter than he is. His laugh carries back to him like salt on a sea breeze._ _

__Jihoon refuses to stop despite his lungs aching, pushing himself on through sheer competitive will up the hill. Woojin reaches the top before he does though. He’s standing with his arms held out to his sides when Jihoon finally arrives, cheeks flushed and hair sticking to his forehead._ _

__“Ok, lets go,” says Woojin._ _

__Jihoon takes off his shoes and socks._ _

__“Nah, uh,” Woojin shakes his head, “All of it.”_ _

__Jihoon raises an alarmed eyebrow, hands going to his pants._ _

__“Yah, I meant your shirt!” yells Woojin._ _

__They both strip down to their shorts. Even though Jihoon has seen Woojin without a shirt too many times to count, he’s still slapped with the golden, flawless skin stretched over his toned chest hard enough to make him dizzy. They stand looking over the edge of the cliff, sut beating down._ _

__“You ready?” asks Jihoon with his gaze on the horizon._ _

__“You first,” replies Woojin._ _

__Jihoon laughs and turns to his best friend._ _

__“What, you’re chickening out now when you thought I’d be the scared one?”_ _

__Woojin stares at him with a glint in his eye._ _

__“As if. Just getting you to check its safe so I don’t get killed.”_ _

__Yeah right, thinks Jihoon, shaking his head at the other boy._ _

__“Suit yourself,” he shrugs. “Ok, here I go.”_ _

__Jihoon paces back a few steps, then kicks off the ground in a run up. Before he blinks he’s at the edge and throwing himself into the mouth of blue, where the horizon and sea kiss each other and become one._ _

__He yelps as his body falls through the air, then lands with a crack on the flat water. Cold water snaps closed over him, sinking its claws into his body. Not a millisecond later a loud scream pierces his ears even under the water. A body plunges into the sea beside him, enveloped by a casket of bubbles. Jihoon’s eyes are open under water, and he watches Woojin open his own. They grin at each other through the blue haze. Then Woojin pushes up to the surface, Jihoon following._ _

__“I called it! You were scared!” shouts Jihoon as he resurfaces, pointing at Woojin._ _

__Woojin laughs and throws a sheath of water at the older boy._ _

__“Yah, stop making up things!”_ _

__Jihoon stares at him incredulously, “I’m the one who’s making up things?”_ _

__He pursues the boy with a flurry of splashes while he swims away, countering the attack with his own.  
They make their way to the little strip of beach where its possible to climb out of the water and trek back up to the cliff top. Both are breathless from relentless fighting and the steep mountain incline by the time they reach the top where their bikes are parked. But the laughter is there, like it always is with Woojin, bubbling up past the surface along with the sweetness. _ _

__They pedal back home, overtaking each other with spurts of laughter and shouting, and then meet Daniel, Daehwi, Seongwoo and Jaehwan at the burger shop. Jokes and stories are passed around like toppings for the delicious food, making it taste even better because they’re in each other’s company. And if Daehwi is smirking at the way Woojin bumps Jihoon’s shoulder whenever he leans over to grab something, or if Seongwoo is sharing knowing glances with the other two hyungs when Jihoon talks about how he’s been staying at Woojin’s, nobody says anything._ _

__At around seven pm, Woojin jumps up from the armchair where he’s been reading a manga. He totters over to Jihoon, who’d rested in the lounge adjacent on his phone._ _

__“Hey you,” he says loudly to grab his attention, tugging out Jihoon’s earphone._ _

__Jihoon scowls at him, “Really?”_ _

__“It’s important,” adds Woojin, justifying himself._ _

__“And what exactly is ‘it’ may I ask?”_ _

__Woojin shakes his head, instead taking the younger boy’s hand and pulling on it._ _

__“I’ll tell you after. Get up and put on your shoes.”_ _

__Jihoon groans but compiles, about as strong-willed as butter when it comes to Woojin._ _

__So they’re back on their bikes, jackets pulled on against the faltering weather, bringing in a heft of clouds. Jihoon has to follow Woojin this time as much as he’d like to race agianst him, and they pedal quickly through town and then down to the seaside. They lock their bikes on the bike rack by the path, then climb around a rocky formation until they’re on the other side, a smaller beach with chalk coloured sand and crystalline waves lapping at the shore. There’s a creaky playground with flaking blue paint on the grass tuft just behind the sand, and Woojin starts galloping toward it. Jihoon yelps as clumps of sand fly up in his face._ _

__“Ok we’re here!” proclaims Woojin, gesturing around. He jumps up onto the roundabout and pushes it to life with one foot on the ground. It groans and Jihoon cringes at the sound. Then it starts to spin with Woojin holding onto the metal support for his life._ _

__“Hey, let me try!” yells Jihoon, pouting as the sea breeze whips at his face._ _

__Woojin slows the roundabout and laughs, then jumps off and tugs Jihoon’s hand when the younger refuses to move._ _

__“Not with you Park Woojin,” mutters Jihoon, pushing the younger boy away. Woojin stumbles back and Jihoon runs up and spins the circular floor before jumping on with a victorious little pump of his fists._ _

__Woojin sits on the small wooden bench nearby, watching the water. When Jihoon’s ride finally comes to a stop, he calls him over._ _

__“Hurry up and get over here, you’re gonna miss the sunset!”_ _

__Jihoon stumbles over, mind spinning like its been through a washing machine. He plops down next to his best friend with a giddy smile._ _

__“That was fun,” he breathes._ _

__Then he finally notices the scene in front of them. Warm hues mingle in the sky like a symphony; red, tangerines, ochres all melting over the water like a delicious spread  
of candy. Jihoon wants to dip his fingers in the glistening water, to crack the toffee brittle of the sky between his teeth, to sample the sunset in its entirety. _ _

__“Wow,” breathes Woojin beside him. The way he says it seems to embody all the feelings in Jihoon’s body at that moment, sizzling to a crescendo as he realises the summer is truly ending._ _

__“I’m glad I came,” Jihoon pipes up._ _

__“I knew you’d like it,” replies Woojin simply. It makes Jihoon turn to him in muted surprise, only to find a level gaze already on him._ _

__Woojin’s eyes aren’t their usual brown, but aflare with the firey hues of the entire sunset. Combined with his wind ruffled hair and gold complexion, the loose, carefree smile, Jihoon thinks he’s never seen anything more breathtaking._ _

__“We won’t be able to do this anymore,” Jihoon says then, failing to keep the sadness from his tone._ _

__Woojin nudges his shoulder, “hey,” he says, “sure we will. No one said the summer had to end just because we have exams and assessments to do.”  
Jihoon quirks his lips ever so slightly, “you really think that?”_ _

__“Yeah, sure,” Woojin smiles, nodding at the smaller boy. “This whole summer has been like a dream. Except, I’m not gonna just forget about it tomorrow, or the day after, you know?”_ _

__Jihoon nods because yes he knows, he really does._ _

__“I’ll come back here,” suggests Jihoon, “if you do, that is.”_ _

__“Both of us,” agrees Woojin._ _

__“Both of us,” says Jihoon, his eyes lingering on Woojin’s._ _

__The warmth of the sunset extinguishes into a blue gloom, but Jihoon doesn’t feel cold from the sea wind. Not when he has Woojin’s body; solid, warm and wildflower scented, pressed against his with one arm protectively over his shoulder._ _

__They trample back around to their bikes in the dark, being careful not to slip on the black moss that’s barely visible in the twilight.  
The pedal back to Woojin’s house is slow and steady, neither racing ahead or catching up like usual. When they arrive back in the dry, cool comfort of Woojin’s room, their bones are suddenly tired from the eventful day. Sleep comes as easy as slipping under water. _ _

__

__***_ _

__

__Jihoon is shaken awake in the morning by the sound of a slamming cupboard.  
He cracks open his eyes to see Woojin shuffling around the room, tidying up Jihoon’s possessions and folding his clothes into a neat pile. The older shouldn’t be surprised considering the boy’s neat- freak tendencies, but he’s caught somewhere between touched for the help and not wanting to admit that he’s truly leaving. _ _

__Breakfast is weetbix and syrup, and as he’s washing up his bowl Jihoon receives a call from his mother reminding him he has to be home by lunch to help prepare dinner for his relatives, who are visiting from some other part of Korea._ _

__He helps Woojin pack away the mattress on the bedroom floor, and throws the bathroom towel he was using into the washing chute. All the while, a sinking feel is clawing at his chest, as though the remaining time is like the sunset ticking by inside of him, when sunlight is all he needs to survive right now, to glow. He can feel the heaviness in Woojin too, who’s expression is blanker than usual, and lips are still instead of twitching with a smile as he carries out the tasks._ _

__“Thats everything, I think,” Jihoon says, dropping his bag at the door with a thump._ _

__Woojin nods, leaning against the frame of the open front door. His eyes are fixed on the floor, and he bounces against the frame restlessly._ _

__“Did you remember your toothbrush?” He asks to fill up the space. Jihoon nods, then says “yes” when he realises Woojin isn’t looking._ _

__“And your penguin toy?”_ _

__Jihoon blushes and says “yes” once again._ _

__“What’s up?” asks Jihoon, because Woojin hasn’t talked for a whole 10 seconds now which is extremely out of character between the two of them._ _

__Woojin finally looks up at him and Jihoon thinks he’s going to supply a simple, “nothing, just that the summer is ending,” as an answer, brushing off whatever was obviously waring on him._ _

__“Well,” starts Woojin, “I have a bit of a dilemma.”_ _

__Jihoon quirks an eyebrow, surprise shooting through him. Woojin was in trouble and he hadn’t confided in him yet? Had something bad been going on all summer, and he hadn’t even noticed? Jihoon’s mind races._ _

__“Shoot,” he says though, in a steady voice._ _

__Woojin doesn’t break eye contact.  
“Well, it’s sort of hard to explain but…” Woojin’s swipes his snaggle tooth with his tongue, fidgety.   
“I guess there’s this person who I’m friends with, at least I think I am…” _ _

__Jihoon rolls his eyes, “Woojin you’re actually kind of social, believe it or not.”_ _

__Woojin purses his lips, “well, anyway, I have this friend and before this summer I thought we were pretty close but I wasn’t too sure, because he’s got heaps of other friends and everyone likes him, so I couldn’t possibly be that high up on his list, you know? But then… then we spent the whole summer together, and I feel like everything changed… but at the same time he’s still the him and I’m still me. It’s just that we’re different _together _.”___ _

____Woojin takes a big, shaky breath but once again keeps his gaze on Jihoon’s. Jihoon feels like his heart might jump right from his chest like a fish._ _ _ _

____“I know that he’s definitely my best friend, and maybe, I’m hoping, I’m even his. But that’s the problem,” Woojin says, his voice catching his throat._ _ _ _

____“Problem?” chokes out Jihoon._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, because if that’s true, I’ll ruin everything by telling him that I’m in love with him.”_ _ _ _

____Jihoon can hear his heartbeat banging his ear drums. Maybe it’s caused him to mishear the words that just flew from Woojin’s mouth, he thinks, because there is no way in this version of reality that Woojin just admitted to being in love. With him._ _ _ _

____“What?” his voice rings out into the bright hallway._ _ _ _

____He barely remembers his own name. His body feels like it’s halfway above him._ _ _ _

____“Oh my god I really did fuck it up,” Woojin blurts, bringing up a hand to run it through his hair, “I’m sorry, I’ll-”_ _ _ _

____He’s cut off by a pair of lips against his own. Jihoon pulls away from the one second kiss quickly, staring up into Woojin’s eyes in disbelief._ _ _ _

____“No,” Jihoon blurts out, “no, you didn’t. Really. ”_ _ _ _

____Woojin matches his look, bringing a hand up to cup Jihoon’s jaw. His palm is burning hot, and Jihoon leans into it._ _ _ _

____“You..” Woojin breaks off, “Is this happening?” He breathes in disbelief, tracing a finger over the curve of Jihoon’s lips, stroking his thumb across his cheekbone._ _ _ _

____Jihoon nods silently. His eyes flutter over Woojins lips and the small sun spot above them, remembering how much he wanted to taste them.  
He doesn’t though, staying still as Woojin traces the lines of his face, marveling at him like he’s nature’s mystery. Then Woojin’s thumb finds his lips again, and he pauses._ _ _ _

____Jihoon nudges forward, slimming the gap._ _ _ _

____“You have no idea how tempting you are,” Woojin mutters in a low voice, making Jihoon shiver, “This whole summer I..."_ _ _ _

_____You have no idea about yourself _, Jihoon thinks.__ _ _ _ _

______And then Woojin pushes his head forward so their lips touch, and Jihoon feels gold flow from his lips into his veins, warm as the sunset. They press their lips together over and over, hands coming up to tangle in hair, Woojin’s back braced against the doorframe as he holds Jihoon in his arms. It feels like a gilded moment, the gold lining of their bronze coloured holiday._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Woojin as they break apart._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Me too,” grins Jihoon, pressing their foreheads together. “Also, I’m in love with you. Too,” he adds with a shy smile._ _ _ _ _ _

______The sound of a beep on the road makes them jump apart. Jihoon’s eyes strain until he sees his mum’s car, parked across the road and out of their vision line. He blushes dark red, making Woojin crack up._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Shut up,” he snaps, hitting the younger boy._ _ _ _ _ _

______Woojin fixes a fond smile on him, and Jihoon realises its the same one he’s used since that first week they became friends. He can’t believe he was so damn blind. They’re both idiots._ _ _ _ _ _

______“See you tomorrow,” says Jihoon as he picks up his bags. He strides past Woojin just out the door a step._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What, no goodbye kiss?” the younger teases._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jihoon turns to face him. And wow, if its not the greatest injustice that someone can look that good leaning against a doorframe in the morning sun, then he doesn’t know what is. His breath is literally snatched away from him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Dont worry,” Jihoon replies, a smirk tugging his mouth, “we’ll have plenty of time for that now. See you at school.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______He chuckles as he catches Woojin’s pink- tinged appearance before he turns around. And yeah, maybe the idea of making out with Park Woojin, the boy who had wholly captured his heart over the past few months, on the desks in some unused classroom or in a library corner, was enough to make him blush deeply as well._ _ _ _ _ _

______But at least now he knows he was right; that Woojin is the sweetest thing he’s tasted all summer, and the sunset really does taste like honey._ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> sooo thanks for sticking with this till the end lmao, hope it brought you a little slice of summer !
> 
> love z, xxx


End file.
